PLAYS
The Dakota
A Play in Two Scenes by William Fowkes
CHARACTERS:
EARL MUMFORD: A 71-year-old retired architect who lives at the Dakota on Central Park West in New York City. Distinguished and charming. Dresses somewhat formally, even in summer.
MARK: An accountant in his forties. Lives in Stamford, CT and works in midtown Manhattan. A bit cocky, a bit devious and mistrustful. Appears in both scenes in a business suit, each time having come from work.
SETTING:
An apartment at The Dakota. If a full set were possible, it would include the living room and part of a foyer, the fine molding and details typical of apartments at the Dakota, lots of furniture, several filled bookcases, a desk with a computer on top and a wall of photos. It would also be a bit of a mess, with books and magazines lying in arbitrary piles, bric-a-brac spilling over the shelves allotted to them and flowers long past their prime in vases scattered around the room. (For a bare set, two armchairs and a table with a framed photo on top would suffice.)
PERIOD:
1999—a summer afternoon and an evening a week later.
SYNOPSIS:
Two worlds collide when a 71-year-old resident of New York's most fabled apartment building entertains his first visitor in years.
The Dakota
The Dakota
A Play in Two Scenes by William Fowkes
Two worlds collide when a 71-year-old resident of New York’s most fabled apartment building entertains his first visitor in years.
Best Short Play Award - Downtown Urban Theater Festival 2005.
Presented at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival 2005 at the Cherry Lane Theatre, New York and at Octoberfest 2005 at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York.
The Dakota served as the basis for my full-length play, Scenes from the Dakota.
Performance History:
Downtown Urban Theatre Festival 2005.
The Dakota won a Best Short Play Award at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival 2005 at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City, June 2005, where it made its world premiere with the following cast, in order of appearance:
Earl Mumford--Richard Seff
Mark--Jeff Talbott
The play was directed by Wendy Peace, assistant directed by Chuck Wagner, and featured the song, "Quite Like You," by Jack Woodbridge.
Ensemble Studio Theatre. The Dakota was presented at Octoberfest 2005 at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, October 21-22, 2005, with the following cast, in order of appearance:
Earl Mumford--Richard Seff
Mark--John Quilty
The play was directed by Wendy Peace, assistant directed by Chuck Wagner, and featured the song, "Quite Like You," by Jack Woodbridge.
